Several Serie A clubs have failed to strike a deal for American midfielder Tanner Tessmann this summer, but a new suitor has emerged with hopes of adding him to their squad.
Torino is interested in acquiring the Venezia midfielder for the upcoming Serie A season, Italian outlet La Stampa reported Thursday. A move to Torino for Tessmann would reunite him with former Venezia manager Paulo Vanoli.
Inter Milan and Fiorentina are among the other Italian clubs that have expressed interest in Tessmann but talks broke down between them and Venezia. Venezia general manager Filippo Antonelli has already ruled Tessmann out of his club’s plans for the upcoming season after the 22-year-old’s constant interest in moving away.
“Tessmann is out of the Venezia project,” Antonelli said in an interview transcribed by TuttoMercato. “It’s been a difficult week, try to understand me. I’m especially sorry for the player, for the situation he put himself in. Right now he is out of the list of players available for Di Francesco, but it is his choice, it does not depend on us. Of course he continues to train, but his head is not there right now. Mending with him? We’ll see, anything is possible.”
Tessmann was a key part of Venezia’s promotion back to Serie A last season through the promotion playoffs. The former FC Dallas academy player scored seven goals and added three assists in 42 combined appearances, forming a strong partnership with fellow former MLS homegrown, Gianluca Busio.
Both Busio and Tessmann have been part of the Venezia squad for the past three seasons.
Tessmann featured in all four of the U.S. Olympic Team’s matches in Paris, France this summer. He helped the Americans advance out of the group stage before suffering a quarterfinal loss to Morocco.
Venezia suffered Coppa Italia elimination midweek against Brescia and opens its Serie A schedule on Sunday at Lazio.
Torino visits U.S. men’s national team stars Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan on Saturday.
His agent gave some sh*t counsel, screwed him over pretty good. At Venezia, starting every game in Serie A is about the best he could hope for at his level- talk about over-playing your hand. Fire your agent kid, and go back hat in hand begging at Venezia.
The guy is only making $210K a year at Venezia and was one of the lowest-paid players on the squad last year. Busio’s making two and a half million.
Depending on what’s gone down in negotiations, I can think of a bunch of reasons why Tessmann might be tired of the kid’s table.
Think where he was when he signed that contract. He’d played 28 matches in MLS over 15 months with 0g 1a. He nearly tripled his salary going to Venezia. Renegotiating that once he began becoming a main piece wouldn’t have gotten him much of a raise because they were in Serie B. I find it amazing Busio makes the same as Tim Weah.
JR-
Again, I have zero clue what might have gone down in negotiations, but it’d be hard not to look at Busio’s salary and have Tessmann think he couldn’t get that or close to it somewhere. The way they’re playing hardball now – cutting him out of the squad, talking about “the situation he put himself in” – I dunno, that does not look to me like a front office that’s trying to meet him halfway or make him happy, which probably means they think they can deal Tessmann and still nab themselves a replacement for less. Which is entirely possible now that they’re up in Serie A.
This post by me was frankly just another knee-jerk, emotional, minimally informed opinion on the internet- I’m quite possibly wrong. I have since read his issues with Inter and Fiorentino were more about wanting assurances about playing time. But there’s also noise about the agent not moving, wanting a larger cut than normal for himself so who knows. Negotiations are too often S slinging, slimy affairs- this sure seems that.
rico-
One thing I’ve started to notice is how Machiovellian teams (and yes, agents) can be, especially if they’ve got ambition but somewhat limited means. Fittingly, we especially seem to see that in Serie A.
MLS and most American sports teams generally don’t air dirty laundry for the obvious reason it puts scuff marks on a product they’re trying to sell, but a lot of Euro teams (and Liga MX teams, and for that matter, even El Tri itself) seem to be of different mind. I see them routinely play a lot of public games seemingly to pressure players into obedience.
If this guy had known Tessmann’s family – which includes his godfather Dabo Swinney, who is arguably the most positive, low-pressure, you-gotta-win-their-faith, up-front-and-honest coach that has ever existed in college football (and, incidentally, a coach who never, ever, EVER says a bad word about his people under any circumstances whatsoever!) they’d have known better. Tessmann’s got an incredibly solid support network around him and he’s not going to cave.
Also, if Tessmann wants to make more than $210K, he can go kick for Clemson tomorrow; that’s been a standing offer forever, and top college NIL deals are now seven figures. So this approach was never going to go well.
I’m curious to see if he ends up sort of as a 5/6 hybrid like “Sideshow Bob” David Luiz, with the license to rumble forward and have goes at the edge of the box or even 1-2 his way into it if he gets a clean line. Those kind of players can be extraordinarily valuable because they can give you an extra attacking piece, coming from a space that teams aren’t used to defending. I loved it when I had myself a CB who was good on the ball and had a good shot from distance…and Tessmann is very good on the ball, particularly if he can get a head of steam going, and his shot from distance is absolutely wicked.
I think he’s maybe a bit miscast as a pure mid, personally. But as a 5/6, I think he could aspire to be potentially world-class…if he can defend. (But I think he can; he’s got the mentality for it…the dude is basically a cross between Walker Zimmerman and Michael Bradley in terms of personality and competitive mentality.) I definitely want a look at him in that role for the USMNT, because we badly need some answers at CB and it’s going to be tough sledding for him to see the field as a central midfielder.
“But as a 5/6, I think he could aspire to be potentially world-class…if he can defend.”
Anyone can aspire to be anything but mentioning the w class word in reference to Tessman is way premature. I agree he is likely to wind up as a ball playing CB. The standard for that would probably be a guy like John Stones, in which case Tanner has a ways to go.
Crossing Zimmerman and Bradley, two mediocre players, gets you another mediocre player. Michael was great, compared to other Americans, but he was just slightly below average when compared to top level international players like the ones you’d find in the champions League or the World Cup. Tanner should look elsewhere for inspiration; maybe a guy like Rodri.
It seems to me that one big reason he wanted to go to Torino was that his Venezia manager, Vanoli, is there.
Might as well play for a guy who appreciates you.
like i said, there’s “team wants you gone” transfers, and there’s “ambition” transfers. i think he and his agent have gotten too cute. tessmann was going to get serie A ball with a team that wanted him there. he got greedy and it’s do i want to go on serial loans for a team like inter, or do i go hunt for some other team where i end up looking for a venezia coach.
sometimes when you find the sweetspot and you’re getting promoted to a stronger role and so is the team, just stay put. i mean i hear some of these other rumors and my response is, no way do they actually want to start him. he’s there as depth or to be loaned out as an asset. and maybe he gets a higher salary to play along but this does not help your career long term. we will be revisiting this in 2 years on many of these players asking how does he get a consistent home or playing time, and why can’t he break into the Nats? well, you didn’t help that when you encouraged him to ditch happy venezia for inter or where-ever he ends up instead. and as we see here, your old team may not appreciate being used as leverage. the bridge back may be gone or close to it.
“encouraged him to ditch happy venezia for inter or where-ever he ends up”
Who encouraged him?
Tanner seems to be over Venezia and when you’re over someplace , then moving on makes a lot of sense. His Venezia manager moved to Torino and it seems Tanner is trying to follow him.
I get that you are risk averse so if you were Tanner you’d stay at “happy” Venezia but , you know, it looks like Tanner ain’t happy no more at Venezia.
I now it is unlikely, but maybe Tessman knows something about his life that you do not?